Amasa Coleman Lee

Amasa Coleman Lee (July, 19, 1880 Butler County, Alabama – April 15, 1962) was the father of Harper Lee, author of the novel To Kill A Mockingbird. It is often said that Atticus Finch, one of the characters in the novel, is based on Lee.

Amasa Lee moved to Monroeville, Alabama in the 1890s. He was at first a bookkeeper. In 1915 he was admitted to the bar and began to practice law, primarily in Monroe County. From 1927 to 1939 he was a member of the Alabama State House of Representatives. Lee was also the editor of the Monroe Journal from 1929 to 1947.

Sources

• article on To Kill A Mockingbird
• article on Harper Lee and To Kill A Mockingbird
• Byron Giddens-White. The Story Behind "To Kill A Mockingbird". (Chicago: Hindemann Library, 2007) p. 6